In a new interview with music journalist Joel Gausten, Enuff Z’Nuff bassist/vocalist Chip Z’Nuff discusses the band’s upcoming album of mostly previously unreleased material, Clowns Lounge. One of the album’s tracks, “The Devil Of Shakespeare” was recorded circa 2004 to promote the novel of the same name by former D’Molls drummer Billy “Dior” McCarthy. The song features Z’Nuff, McCarthy, Styx’s James “J.Y.” Young, Ron Flynt of 20/20 and the late Jani Lane of Warrant.
 
“I went to the studio and wrote this thing in fucking 10 minutes, and recorded it in an hour,” Z’Nuff recalls. “Then, we decided, ‘Hey, let’s get Robin Zander to sing on it.’ We went to go see Robin Zander and handed him $3,000 at a concert in Rockford. As I was handing him the money, his manager came over and said, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ We said, ‘We’re gonna give Robin an advance, half the money. We’re going to give him $6,000 to sing on a record. He’s going to sing on one song.’ The guy said, ‘Hang on a second. Let’s talk about this. I want to hear the song.’ The manager was a real fucking prick. He gave the money back to us, and then we waited for about a week. He eventually got back to us and said, ‘Robin’s not available...’.”
 
“Our next choice was Jani Lane; we loved him dearly. He was a friend of ours and a great singer and songwriter. We asked Jani if he would be kind enough to sing on the track, and he accepted. I was producing it; Jani says, ‘Chip, I’d like to take a different approach. I want to sing it like Bowie.’ I said, ‘Jani, any way you want to sing the song, go right ahead. I just want to have your beautiful pipes on here.’ In one or two takes, he nailed it. It’s not necessarily an Enuff Z’Nuff song because (original Enuff Z’Nuff vocalist) Donnie (Vie)’s not on it, but I sang and played on it, and I wrote it. I thought it would be a nice thing for Jani Lane’s family to hear and for Warrant fans to hear as well. It was one of last tracks Jani Lane sang in a studio, and he sang it effortlessly. He sang his ass off and loved doing it because he loved Enuff Z’Nuff and loved Billy.”
 
The complete interview is available at JoelGausten.com.

Warrant posted the following video on August 11th in honour of late vocalist Jani Lane:

"Sadly we lost our rock brother 5 years ago today- way too soon. He will live on through songs! Thank you Rockaholics for your dedication and support for the love of music! Enjoy and look for the good in everyday. If you have a bad day... roll down the windows and crank up the music....here is a cool slide show , dedicated to Jani...play it loud and proud! Peace!"

In 2011, the rock world lost an incredibly gifted singer and songwriter, a man whose voice reverberated around the world on such blockbuster hits as “Cherry Pie”, “Down Boys”, “Sometimes She Cries”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, and the unforgettable ballad “Heaven”.

Jani Lane joined Warrant in 1985, and together the band lit up the L.A. club circuit, becoming an international sensation with multi-platinum albums and an adoring fanbase. Always a music lover at heart, after Lane left Warrant in 2004, he continued to write and record, often paying homage to some of his musical heroes by participating in tribute projects to Cheap Trick, Judas Priest and others.

Now a new CD compilation collects some of these superb solo performances in one convenient package and for the first time ever on vinyl. Catch A Falling Star, which includes Lane’s takes on UFO’s “Doctor, Doctor”, Def Leppard’s “Photograph” and Bon Jovi’s epic “Lay Your Hands On Me”.

In addition to guest appearances by two of Lane’s bandmates, guitarist Erik Turner and bassist Jerry Dixon, Catch A Falling Star includes liner notes by former Warrant drummer Bobby Borg who shares his personal recollections of Lane.

There is “no better tribute to Lane than a collection of covers,” Borg writes, “Those who saw Warrant perform live know that Lane loved to mix cover songs into the show… songs by The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Joe Walsh, Queen, and other artists throughout our live sets. (I loved that about the band).”

Speaking of Lane’s distinctive vocal style, Borg writes, “Lane was able to convey the subject matter of a song emotionally - whether soft and heartfelt or loud and aggressive - while always maintaining a certain charm as if he were grinning warmly.”

This collection is the perfect way to remember both the man and immense musical gifts, and is sure to leave a warm grin on the face of his fans everywhere.

Tracklisting:

“I Want You To Want Me” feat. Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper / Slash’s Snakepit)
“Panama”
“Photograph”
“The Ocean”
“Doctor, Doctor”
“Electric Eye”
“Free For All” feat. Jake E. Lee
“No Surprise” feat. Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.)
“Lay Your Hands On Me” feat. Erik Turner & Jerry Dixon (Warrant)

Buy the CD here, and the LP here.